The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.

We must realise that our success in life is rooted in knowing and heeding the voice of God. The Bible says that ‘the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way’ (Psalm 37: 23). It is clear that our victory in life is assured when we follow the specific route that God has already ordained for our lives. This is why it is imperative that we hear God’s instructions for our lives.

God knows His plans for our lives (Jeremiah 29: 11), but it is not sufficient for God to know what He has for us; we also must know God’s plans for our lives. Can I encourage you to be a person who yearns for the voice of God? ‘Where the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable’, is a well-known quote by Myles Monroe. Without knowing what God wants you to do and where He wants you to go, there is a tendency to misuse your God-given opportunities and potentials.

We see in Habakkuk 2: 1-2 that the prophet made a decision to climb up to a watchtower, separating himself from others so that he could be far-removed from noise. Our world there days is so busy that it can be challenging to hear God’s voice. If we allow the rowdiness and the noise of life to crowd God out of our schedule, we will find it difficult to hear God's voice. Jesus was often known to withdraw to a quiet place to seek God’s face (Matthew 14: 23), and so must we (Exodus 3: 4- 5). God is always speaking to us; it is our responsibility to tune our hearts to His frequency.

Let us examine two major ways by which God speaks to us:

a) God speaks to us through His Word: The voice of God is encapsulated in the Scriptures. When reading the Bible, we must approach it with the intention of hearing God’s voice (Isaiah 34: 16). Everything we need for life is written in Scripture (2 Peter 1: 3), and it is in doing God’s will that we find fulfilment (Hebrews 10: 6- 7).

b) God speaks to us by His Spirit: Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives when He said, ‘…when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth…’ (John 16: 12- 15) Here we see that God is always with us, and assures us of His counsel through the Holy Spirit. When we pay attention to the Holy Spirit who is with us, we can live lives in tune with His leading, and free from unnecessary error.

Prayer: Dear Father, I thank You for the assurance of Your constant presence with me. Thank You for Your Word that You have made available to me. Thank You that Your divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness. I ask Lord, for the desire and the strength to spend personal time with You and to pay attention to Your Word, so that I can know You more and become all that You want me to be, in Jesus’ Name. Amen!